The present invention relates in general to a dispensing container, and more particularly, to a roller-type product dispensing applicator having a sealable material containing portion from which the material to be applied is discharged.
Roller-type applicators are well known in the art and have enjoyed wide commercial use for application of a variety of products. These products are not limited to, but may include adhesives, paints, stain removers, topical medicines and cosmetics. The latter category includes colognes, after-shave lotions, body lotions, sunscreens, suntan formulas, deodorants, antiperspirant and depilatories. The roller-type applicator has been particularly successful in the application to the skin of deodorants and antiperspirant. This success is a result of their convenient use and their association with high efficiency due at least, in part, to their ability to deposit a concentrated dose of active material precisely where it will have the most effect.
Despite the success of roller-type applicators, certain types of product formulations lend themselves more readily to one kind of dispensing system than another. For example, roller-type applicators function well with products having a uniform creamy or oily consistency, while pressurized aerosol dispensers have provided an effective way to spray products in the form of relatively unstable liquid-solid suspensions. Some of these suspension-type products, such as antiperspirant including certain aluminum or zirconium salts in a volatile silicon carrier, present special sealing problems in dispensing with an applicator which includes a roller element in a socket. If the clearances are kept relatively close, as is customary, the roller element is likely to stick or bind as a result of the solids becoming trapped on the bearing surfaces. On the other hand, if the clearances are sufficiently large to accommodate such non-greasy suspension-type products, the sticking can be reduced, but leakage of the contained carrier becomes a significant problem when, as often happens, the applicator is stored in any orientation other than upright.
It has also been found desirable in numerous applications to employ roller elements which vary from circular in cross-section to elongated, oblong or elliptical in order to provide a wide contact area for applying deodorants, antiperspirant and the like. However, the problem of adequate sealing of such a roller element in its seat and the prevention of sticking for certain kinds of formulations become even more aggravated with these bigger roller elements.
One roller-type applicator designed to overcome the above-described disadvantages is known from Giblin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,860. Giblin et al. provides a dispensing package for delivery of liquids such as antiperspirant using an oval shaped roller. In addition to the roller being rotatably mounted within a socket, the roller is displaceable along a vertical axis by including pegged ends received within slots provided within spaced apart support arms. The roller is biased upwardly by a central spring assembly which includes a valve and seat arrangement for a discharged opening for the contents of the dispensing package. In use, when the roller is pressed against a treating surface, e.g., skin, the roller pushes down upon the spring biased valve and seat assembly thereby permitting the contained material to exit the dispensing package and to be spread by the roller onto the treatment surfaces.
Despite the positive attributes of the dispensing package constructed in accordance with Giblin et al., such package has a number of notable disadvantages. In particular, its construction to include a spring assembly and a valve and seat arrangement results in the package being relatively complicated to manufacture and assemble, as well as resulting in additional costs. Considering that these dispensing packages are not reusable, and are merely designed for selling the contained product, any additional costs in construction of these dispensing packages is undesirable. Further, use of the Giblin et al. dispensing package requires the application of sufficient force by the user to overcome the closing force of the spring assembly. Where these dispensing packages are being used for application of products to the skin, such as deodorants and antiperspirant, the application of such force to the skin is considered undesirable and deattracts from the usability of these packages.
There is also known from Gonnella et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,095,598 a dispensing package which is constructed to include a roller of glass or like rigid material arranged for sealing engagement with an underlying resilient seal element having a passageway in communication with the material to be dispensed. When the cap is fitted over the roller and secured to the dispensing package, the roller is forced downwardly into sealing engagement with the resilient seal element to prevent discharge of the contained material. However, when the cap is removed, it is necessary that the roller be elevated from its sealing position to allow discharge of the material. To this end, there is provided flexible projections extending within the cavity receiving the roller which serve to elevate the roller upon removal of the cap.
The dispensing package of Gonnella et al., although providing an arrangement which simplifies the sealing arrangement for the package, also suffers from a number of disadvantages associated with its construction. For example, due to the flexible nature of the projections, such projections must be constructed from a material different from the remaining material forming the dispensing package. As a consequence, the projections must be formed separate and apart from the fabrication process for the dispensing package which is typically injection molding and the like. In addition, these projections due to their flexible nature are subject to failure by breakage or loss of resiliency which will prevent the roller from being elevated from its sealed position. As a result, the contained material cannot be discharged from the dispensing package rendering the package unusable even though additional material may exist.
There is further known from Fillmore et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,128 a dispensing package which provides a double seal to prevent inadvertent dispensing of the contained contents. A primary seal is formed between a rigid dispensing roller and its receiving fitment of resilient material upon securing of the closure cap to a rigid housing. The primary seal is created by engagement of the fitment with the dispensing roller in the region of a diaphragm portion of the fitment which has an aperture through which the material to be dispensed is discharged. The closure cap also includes a quantity of resilient material, such as foamed polymer, positioned to contact the dispensing roller and the receiving fitment to form a secondary seal to prevent leakage of the contained material when the closure cap is placed into engagement with the container. This dispensing package although having a number of attributes is also undesirable as it requires a separate receiving fitment from the housing due to the different construction materials employed, as well as requiring the provision of a foamed polymer insert. This requirement for multiple components of the dispensing package which must be separately manufactured and assembled adds undesirably to the manufacturing cost of an item which is otherwise intended to be nonreusable and disposable.
Despite the existence of the dispensing packages known from Giblin et al., Gonnella et al. and Fillmore et al., there remains unknown a roller-type material applicator which overcomes the above described disadvantages while remaining simple in construction, relatively easy to manufacture and relatively inexpensive to construct. It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages associated with roller-type dispensing packages as heretofore known.